2023 Utah Football Predictions and Season Preview

Utah football finished the 2022 season with a strong 10-4 record, which included a PAC 12 title victory. Utah’s losses occurred against Florida, UCLA, Oregon, and Penn State in the bowl game. Of the regular season losses, all occurred within ten points. Losses aside, the crown jewel of Utah’s season was a pair of victories over USC, which paved the way for a PAC12 Title. Nonetheless, onto our 2023 Utah football predictions, season preview, futures and win total projections.

DraftKings Sportsbook has set the price on Utah’s win total at 8.5, with the under juiced to -140. The Utes are +5000 to win the PAC12, which comes in only behind USC, Oregon, and Washington. With another strong season expected from bookmakers, let’s dive into Utah’s season preview.

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2023 Utah Football Predictions & Season Preview

Utah Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff

Kyle Whittingham remains one of the longest tenured head coaches in all of College Football after starting in 2004. Overall, he has a 154-74 record and nine straight winning seasons. Outside of the Covid-19 season, Whittingham has only missed a bowl game twice. He returns both coordinators this year with Andy Ludwig coming back on offense and Morgan Scalley on defense. Lidwig initially took over in 2019 after previously coordinating Vanderbilt’s offense. Scalley has been in place since 2016.

Utah Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense

Quarterback

At quarterback Utah returns Cam Rising for his third season as the starter. Last year, Rising completed 249 of his 387 es (64.3% completion percentage) for 3,030 yards (7.8 yards per attempt), 26 touchdowns, and eight scores. Rising also possesses excellent mobility. Last year he ran 77 times for 465 yards (6.0 YPC), despite taking eight sacks. Rising did tear his ACL in the bowl game, so his mobility and even Week 1 status remains up in the air.

Overall, he was PFF’s ninth graded er last year. His efficiency metrics weren’t quite as good as 2021, when he finished second overall. Regardless, he is the best option Utah has and it’s not close.

Allegedly, redshirt freshman Brandon Rose has moved ahead of last year’s backup Bryson Barnes on the depth chart. Rose was a three-star prospect and the 31st quarterback recruit from last year’s class. He is a complete unknown. Barnes actually threw 57 es last year for 430 yards, four scores and two interceptions. He also rushed 20 times for 116 yards and seems like the more logical backup. With Rising’s injury, this position has more questions than previous years.

Running Back

Utah lost their leading rusher Tavion Thomas after he finished with 687 yards on 142 attempts. He had fallen out of favor by the end of the year, so most don’t expect this to be a major loss. From there, they return their next three rushers. Former quarterback and last year’s third leading rusher Ja’Quinden Jackson projects to lead a committee here. Last year, the 6-2, 227 pound back rushed 78 times for 531 yards. However, he only caught one and that doesn’t project to be a major part of his game. His 4.22 yards after per attempt and 38.5% forced missed tackle rate finished in elite territory. Jackson ended the year on a strong note and should get the first crack at early-down work.

Behind him, Utah returns catching specialist Micah Bernard. The 6-0, 202 pound back rushed 107 times for 539 yards and four scores. He also caught 33 balls for 306 yards and occupied the third down role. Bernard averaged 2.95 yards after per attempt and a 27.1% forced missed tackle rate. Jaylon Glover also returns after rushing 78 times for 360 yards. He is 5-7, 207 pounds and posted 3.01 yards after per attempt and a 23.1% forced missed tackle rate as a freshman. Utah also recruited a pair of four-star freshmen in John Randle Jr. and Dijon Stanley, providing the team excellent depth.

Wide Receiver

Utah has long relied on tight ends as their main catchers. This year, the Utes upgraded the receiver position and could rely more on this unit. The incumbent group returns their top two, including Devaughn Vele and Money Parks. Vele stands 6-5, 205 pounds and led this group with 55 catches for 695 yards and five scores. He played out wide 67.7% of the time and his 1.54  yards per route ranked 38th in the PAC12. Parks came in second with 26 catches for 414 yards and a pair of scores. The 5-10, 170 pound receiver played out wide 75.4% of the time and his 2.2 yards per route ranked 13th. From there, the Utes project to rely more on transfers this season. They added Mycah Pittman from Florida State and Emery Simmons from Indiana.

Pittman stands 5-11, 203 pounds and caught 32 balls for 330 yards with the Seminoles last year. He played in the slot 87.1% of the time and his 1.33 yards per route run doesn’t really stand out. This will now be his third school after starting with Oregon. Simmons stands 6-1, 186 pounds and caught 37 balls for 408 yards last year. He played in the slot 95.1% of the time and his 1.13 yards per route was even worse. Like Pittman, Simmons initially began his career at North Carolina, making this his third stop. Utah also recruited a four-star prospect in Mikey Matthews in this cycle. Matthews is already drawing comparisons to Britain Covey, which doesn’t bode well for the other slot options. Overall, Utah upgraded their receiving room this year.

Tight End

Utah lost stud tight end Dalton Kincaid, who led the team in receiving. However, he started the year behind Brant Kuithe, who now returns from injury. In just four games last year, Kuithe caught 19 balls for 206 yards and three scores. He only stands 6-2, 219 pounds, but he caught 50 balls for 611 yards back in 2021. Losing Kincaid won’t be easy, but Kuithe remains a quality replacement.

From there, the Kuithe injury actually allowed Thomas Yassmin to receive 368 snaps last year. Yassmin stands 6-5, 251 pounds and blocked on 58% of his snaps. As a receiver Yassmin logged 13 receptions for 301 yards. This equates to an absurd 23.2 yards per reception. For depth purposes Utah retains Logan Kendall and added Auburn transfer Landen King. 

Offensive Line

On the offensive line, Utah lost left tackle Braeden Daniels and center Paul Maile. This leaves three returning starters in this group. At right tackle Sataoa Laumea played 948 snaps last year. This will be his third year as a full time starter with 2,213 snaps to his name. Right guard Michael Mokofisi played 724 snaps last year and will now enter year two as a starter.

At left guard, Utah also returns Keaton Bills, who should be the leader of this unit. Bills played 967 snaps last year and now has two years of starting experience. Utah did not hit the portal along the offensive line, so they will rely on their youth here. Falcon Kaumatule is the favorite for left tackle duties after playing 112 snaps as a swing last year. He is 6-8, 301 pounds and now in his fourth year with the program. Kolinu’u Faaiu is the presumed starter at center after playing 88 snaps in five games last year.

Utah also recruited a pair of four stars in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu along the offensive line. Both could see some time this year if they can develop quickly enough. They also have Jaren Kump, who played 302 snaps last year for depth. This unit lost two solid starters, but this unit shouldn’t change too much going into this year. There’s maybe even a chance for improvement.

Utah Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense

Utah ranked 47th on defense in 2022. This included the 74th-ranked run defense, 76th-ranked rush and 32nd-ranked secondary. By Utah standards, this defense did not live up to expectation. However, they were younger than previous defenses and they now return almost every starter. The only notable departures include Clark Phillips III and Gabe Reed.

Defensive Line

Mentioned above, Utah lost edge defender Reed, who finished led the team with 5.5 sacks. However, Utah returns plenty of experience behind him. Connor O’Toole played 438 snaps last year and Jonah Elliss logged 394 himself. Ellis played a little bit better than O’Toole as a rusher. He logged six tackles for loss and three sacks. O’Toole stood up against the run with 41 tackles and four tackles for loss himself. Utah also returns Van Fillinger, who played 212 snaps last year. Fillinger is a candidate for a larger role after recording five tackles for loss and five sacks on limited playing time. Overall, this group should be improved in 2023.

On the interior Utah returns plenty of experience. Junior Tafuna played 562 snaps last year, which included 27 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Aliki Vimahi played 382 snaps last year, logging 14 tackles and two tackles for loss himself. Finally, Dimote Pepa returns  290 snaps as well. He played well on a small sample with 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, and four sacks. He should start ahead of one of the other defensive tackles here. They also added BYU transfer Logan Fano, who failed to see the field last year. Regardless, Utah has solid depth at this position.

Linebacker

Utah returns two of their top three linebackers from last year in Karene Reid and Lander Barton both return, while Mohamoud Diabate departs. Reid played 676 snaps and ranked second on the team with 72 tackles. He was also excellent as a rusher with 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Barton played 418 snaps, logging 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks himself.

For depth purposes, Utah also added Stanford transfer Levani Damuni, who played 558 snaps last year. Otherwise, Utah will rely on unproven depth in Josh Calvert and Spencer Clegg. This position group should be a strength for the Utes, but losing Diabate will hurt.

Defensive Back

At corner, Utah lost their best defensive back in Phillips. However, they return plenty of experience. JaTravis Broughton and Zemaiah Vaughn should start on the boundary after playing 604 and 524 snaps last year. Vaughn actually led the team with nine breakups to go along with his 25 tackles. Broughton broke up a pair of es, but logged 46 tackles. The final corner projects to be Sione Vaki, who played 321 snaps as a rotational piece last year. Vaki broke up three es and recorded 41 tackles on his limited snaps. He should start in the nickel here, but he could also move over to safety. The team also moved Tao Johnson over to the defensive side of the  ball. There’s a chance he plays the nickel here. For depth, Utah added Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle, who has 843 snaps of experience over the last three years. Even with Phillips gone, this position should be a strength for Utah.

At safety, the Utes return one starter in Cole Bishop. Bishop played 740 snaps last year and led the team with 83 tackles. He also broke up three es and recorded an interception.  Utah also added USC transfer Briton Allen, who could function as some safety depth here, if Vaki plays safety full time. Utah did recruit a pair of four-star freshmen defensive backs in CJ Blocker and Smith Snowden. This secondary should be a strength again in 2023, but it doesn’t have as much depth.

2023 Utah Football Schedule & Predictions

Utah Football 2023 Schedule

The Utes play a difficult non-conference schedule consisting of Florida, Baylor, and Weber State. While an FCS opponent all but guarantees a win, Florida and Baylor will be tough games. In conference, Utah faced UCLA, USC, Oregon, Washington, and Oregon State. Even worse, three of those games are on the road. Ultimately, this looks like one of the tougher schedules in the entire PAC12.

Utah Football Futures Bet & Prediction

The Utes Over/Under 8.5- wins comes in juiced to the under at -140. Ultimately, Rising’s injury plays a major role in this market. Utah doesn’t get many cupcakes early in the season either. With the most important part of the roster unknown, the under remains the only option here.

Best Utah Football Futures Bet: Under 8.5 Wins  (-140 at DraftKings)

You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!

• Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
• Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
• Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
• Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
• Florida Season Preview & Predictions
• Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
• Iowa Season Preview & Predictions
• Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
• Kansas Season Preview & Predictions
• Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
• Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
• LSU Season Preview & Predictions
• Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
• Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
• Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
• Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
• Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
• Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
• South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
• TCU Season Preview & Predictions
• Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
• Texas Season Preview & Predictions
• Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
• Texas Tech Season Preview & Predictions
• Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
• West Virginia Season Preview & Predictions